Friday, February 14, 2014

Valentine's Day Lace Cookies

Ahh, Valentine's Day! There is nothing that screams sugar cookies as loud as this love loaded holiday. And who doesn't LOVE sugar cookies? What's not to love about a perfectly sweet cookie that is covered in rich and delicious icing? For me, the best part about sugar cookies is always the decorating. A sugar cookie just wouldn't be worth it's weight in powdered sugar without some form of decorating. I have always done the usual icing, sprinkles, and candy hearts, but this year, I wanted to be a little more adventurous and try something a little more artsy.

I have always loved doing lace work on wedding cakes, but it has really started to become a lost art. You can still find it done on some traditional wedding cakes, but with the new surge and popularity of fondant, it is becoming more and more rare. Then when I saw some photos of lace work on cookies, I originally thought, "Who in their right mind would spend that much time on a single cookie?", I mean a wedding cake is one thing, but a cookie? But the bug got to me and I just couldn't help myself and had to try it.

I tried out a new sugar recipe I found here. The dough was easy to handle and I really liked that. They weren't as sweet as some sugar cookies but baked flat without rising in the middle and that was important for doing the lace work. I cut them out about 1/4" thick - instead of the 1/8" as suggested in the recipe and I also doubled the recipe. If you are going to have a sugar cookie, you might as well actually get something that is worth eating. If I wasn't doing lace work on these, I would probably make them even thicker. There is nothing I love more than a really thick sugar cookie with lots of yummy butter cream frosting flavored with almond extract. Having said that, I must say these cookies are more for looks than for taste. Once the royal icing hardens, it really just can't compete against a good butter cream. They still taste good, after all, it IS a sugar cookie, just not as scrumptious and devouringly luscious as a thick butter cream frosting! Especially one flavored with almond extract! Mmmm...

But I guess some things in life are better to admire than to salivate over. These fit into that category. However, once you finish these cookies and realize the time you put into each individual cookie, you may want to salivate over them once you are done. Or, if you are like me, you will hear comments like, "How can I eat that?", "They are too pretty to eat.", "I feel guilty even taking one bite out of such artwork.", "It should be framed or hung on a wall, or made into a pillow?", haha. I don't do much needle handwork or quilting and I often think that if I put the kind of time I do into decorating cakes and cookies into that kind of art instead, I could have something to actually show that would last forever for my posterity. But, that's why cameras were invented. Not everything can last forever.

As a cake decorator I have come to realization that what I work so hard on, will actually be destroyed...aka eaten. It used to be really hard for me to see that first cut into a wedding cake that I spent hours creating and fussing over. It was almost like the knife was cutting into me. But I have since learned that this is an art that is not meant to last forever as far as a tangible thing, but to last forever in others hearts and minds. And that's okay. After all, one of life's greatest pleasures is enjoying delicious and beautifully prepared food. And if I really wanted my creations to last forever, I would take up needlework or quilting. I prefer to create with the sweet things in life. The added bonus to that is, I get to sample it as I create it to make sure it's just right. It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it! Mmm.....

“Favorite Sugar Cookie Recipe”

Ingredients

1 cup butter

1 cup confectioner’s sugar

1 egg

1-1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2-1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

Directions

In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners’ sugar until light
and fluffy. Beat in egg and extracts. Combine flour and salt; add to
creamed mixture and mix well. Chill for 1-2 hours.

Place on greased baking
sheets. Bake at 375° for 7-9 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to
wire racks to cool. Yield: 6-7
dozen.

Once the cookies are done and ready to decorate, color your royal icing (recipe below) with Wilton color gels. I just found these great little squeeze gels at my local Walmart and I snatched them up quick! I have been waiting for Wilton to make their color gels in a simpler form and I was so happy to finally find these. I can't find them in any craft stores yet, however. So if you see these grab them! But if you can't find them, just use your regular Wilton gels. I wouldn't recommend using the liquid food color you buy at the grocery store as they don't color as well and can change the consistency of your icing, but if that's all you have then you can just adjust the consistency with more powdered sugar if needed.

I colored mine purple (of course!). Be sure to leave some of the icing white (or preferred color) for the lace work.If you want a heart shape in the middle of the cookie then pipe a heart border around with a Wilton #2 tip. Let it harden and then with the end of wooden spoon begin dabbing the royal icing inside of the border to flood it inside. Once you have it filled, then let that harden a bit. For the lace work, you will need a parchment cone. I made my own parchment cones to pipe the cookies with. For instructions on how to do that go here. Fill cone with white royal icing. I wanted a really fine line for the lacework and so I didn't trim anything off the end of the cone. Be careful with the parchment cones when working with royal icing as it will stiffen quickly and can harden at the opening of the cone which is difficult to fix without altering the shape of the opening. If you work quickly, you won't have any problems. I did some of my lace work with a Wilton #1 tip as well. It works just as well, but isn't quite as intricate and fine as using the cone without a tip. Do a few practice runs to get in the groove. The tiny dots really add a lot as well as the cross-stich designs. Get creative with your designs. Anything goes. And above all HAVE FUN!

Royal Icing Recipe (for doing lace work)

Ingredients

Beat all ingredients until icing forms peaks (7-10 minutes at low speed with
a heavy-duty mixer. Makes about 3 cups of icing.

NOTE: Keep all utensils completely grease-free for proper icing consistency.Thinned Royal Icing: To thin for puddling, add 1 teaspoon water
per cup of royal icing. Use grease-free spoon or spatula to stir
slowly. Add 1/2 teaspoon water at a time until you reach proper
consistency.

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"The Lord compensates the faithful for every loss. That which is taken away from those who love the Lord will be added unto them in His own way. While it may not come at the time we desire, the faithful will know that every tear today will eventually be returned a hundredfold with tears of rejoicing and gratitude."--Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Come What May, and Love It", Ensign, Nov 2008, 26–28

In the Family Room...

Me and my Mommy on my birthday

25th Anniversary

This was our 25th Anniversary. Wow, that makes us sound really, really old! This was taken at Windy's Sukiyaki in Ogden. We went there on one of our very first dates.

My whole fam.....2004

2003

I birthed an entire team! ~1997~

♥My Amazing Boys♥

Sky's Real Estate photo

Tyson.....ever the comedian

Bryce ready for a hot one

Tay in AK with his latest 'catch'

McKster cheesin' it

Fun times in Hawaii 2004

The men in my life ♥ March 2004

My boys at the MTC sending Sky off on his mission in 2004...last photo all together.

My current mood is:

God is not interested in your comfort, stop complaining about your circumstances. God is interested in your character, in stretching you, shaping you (often a very painful process)!

"Every child should spend a substantial amount of time with somebody who's crazy about him or her . . . There has to be at least one person who has an irrational involvement with that child, someone who thinks that kid is more important than other people's kids, someone who's in love with him or her, and whom he or she loves in return."-Urie Bronfenbrenner

I'll let you know what I think once I've had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile, go grab yours while it's still free.

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"To you women of today... I suggest to you that you write, that you keep journals, that you express your thoughts... writing is a great discipline. It will assist you in various ways, and you will bless the lives of many, now and in the years to come, as you [write] some of your experiences and some of your musings." President Gordon B. Hinckley

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It's A Wonderful Life...

I have learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not on our circumstances.~Martha WashingtonNo matter how serious the trial, how deep the distress, how great the affliction, God will never desert us. He never has, and He never will. He cannot do it. It is not His character. . . We have found that God. We have made him our friend, by obeying His gospel; and He will stand by us. We may pass through the fiery furnace; we may pass through deep waters; but we shall not be consumed nor overwhelmed. We shall emerge from all these trials and difficulties the better and purer for them, if only we trust in our God and keep His commandments. ~George Q. Cannon

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IT'S ALL ABOUT CHOICES

♥CHOICES♥☻If it is cold, you have choices: you can light a fire or curse the weather.☻If you are hungry, you have choices: you can eat or curse your stomach☻If you are tired, you have choices: you can rest or you can curse your fatigue.☻If there is hatred, you have choices: you can love or you can curse other people.☻If it is congested, you have choices: you can tune your radio or you can honk and curse others stuck in traffic with you.☻If the store clerk is having problems, you have choices: you can show patience or you can curse her.

Everything in life is about choice.Everything you do and everything you say is a choice you make.Make good choices.IT REALLY IS ALL ABOUT CHOICES...

"Whatever comes our way, whatever battle we have raging inside us, we always have a choice. My friend Harry taught me that. He chose to be the best of himself. It's the choices that make us who we are, and we can always choose to do what's right." Peter Parker (The Spidey)